Dubai Internet City looks forward to MECOM 2008

Malek Sultan Al Malek, executive director of Dubai Internet City, is confident more global ICT players will establish bases in the UAE.

The executive director of Dubai Internet City (DIC) expects more global telecoms players will take advantage of the growth in the Middle East and North Africa region, to launch bases in the UAE.

Malek Sultan Al Malek leads DIC, the region’s largest managed cluster of information and communications technology companies, which was built as a strategic base for companies targeting emerging markets in several neighbouring regions.

“As one of the region’s leading industry events, MECOM will throw up rich networking opportunities with potential business partners,” Al Malek commented. “We are confident the event will facilitate more telecoms players to enter the region by establishing a footprint at DIC.” Al Malek also pointed out that the rapid growth of the telecoms industry is creating niche sectors and opening up new business opportunities in the region’s landscape.

“Reflecting the growth and a liberal market environment, the ICT cluster continues to attract a significant number of telecoms companies. Our success stems from our ability to provide our business partners such as Verizon Business, Qualcomm and BT, with an enabling environment where regulations, skills and infrastructure are all channelled towards expediting the region’s economic growth,” he stated.

As the backbone for the region’s telecommunications industry, DIC has successfully spearheaded the advancement of sectors such as the media, service outsourcing and IT. The cluster has also facilitated the emergence of new industry avenues, following the convergence of technologies in mobile telecoms and broadcasting. DIC’s core focus area extends from the Middle East to the Indian sub-continent and from Africa to the CIS countries, covering two billion people with a GDP of US$6.7 trillion.

As a knowledge-oriented business model, DIC has created a dynamic international community of IT companies hosting business partners that include most of the Fortune 500 brands, as well as a number of small- and medium-sized enterprises and ventures. In 2007, DIC witnessed 33 per cent growth, drawing 112 new companies to the cluster, including BT and Google. DIC is the official ICT partner for MECOM, and is showcasing its comprehensive offerings at stand 1G 30.